The Fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.”      (Psalm 14:1).

How do we know that he is a fool?

Simple. A fool speaks as if he has the answer to a question to which he cannot have an answer. No man knows enough to make that statement. You would have to be everywhere at the same time to reach that conclusion. Otherwise, God might be just one jump ahead of him.

But to be everywhere at once is to be God! And the strangest part of it is that he isn’t just boasting, showing off or something. He believes it—partially, at least—and is trying to fully convince himself that it is really true.

Say, fool—will you come to your senses? When you do, it is time to find out about the Salvation that is in Christ Jesus. If you need help, let us know.

Check out our online course, The Use of Scripture in Counseling, taught by Jay Adams!

1. The Christian Counselor’s New Testament and Proverbs
2. What to do on Thursday
3. How to Help People Change

The Christian Counselor’s New Testament and Proverbs, translated by Jay Adams

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The post The Fool appeared first on Institute for Nouthetic Studies | Biblical Counseling.

Why is an atheist a fool?

In answer, let me simply suggest one reason: no one knows enough to be an atheist.

If, for instance, God is a spirit, how would you be able to ascertain His whereabouts or non-whereabouts? You can’t see or feel a spirit. As of late, even with all of our electronic marvels, I haven’t yet seen a spirit-detector for sale. How can he know that there is no God?

Secondly, supposing he was able to go everywhere in search of God, how would he know that God wasn’t just one jump ahead of (or behind) him? To make the affirmation with any reasonable basis for it, he would have had to be everywhere at the same time to discover that God wasn’t there. But, of course, that would mean he is omnipresent and omniscient (and probably omnipotent) to be able to be there. But then, if he were all of these, he’d be God—and hardly be an atheist.

Now, I don’t want to let the agnostics off too easily. There are two kinds of agnostics. One doesn’t know, and one who doesn’t care. I don’t have much respect for the second. He doesn’t care enough to find out so he can tell his children whether there is or not. Shame on him. The other kind doesn’t know, but it troubles him immeasurably. He should keep on seeking: “Seek and ye shall find.” There’s hope for him.

Check out our online courses, including, Introduction to Nouthetic Counseling and  The Use of Scripture in Counseling, taught by Jay Adams!

Books related to counseling others:

1. Competent to Counsel by Jay Adams
2. The Christian Counselor’s Manual by Jay Adams
3. How to Help People Change by Jay Adams
4. Check out our Bookstore for all the best counseling books!

The Christian Counselor’s New Testament and Proverbs, translated by Jay Adams

Visit our online bookstore for all your biblical counseling resource needs.
For more biblical counseling training, check out our list of INS Online Courses.

Follow INS on Social Media:
– Facebook: noutheticstudies
– Twitter: @noutheticstud
– Instagram: @noutheticstudies

The post No Sensible Person Is an Atheist appeared first on Institute for Nouthetic Studies | Biblical Counseling.

Desire fulfilled is sweet to the taste, but fools hate to turn from evil   (HCSB)

“It would be nice if . . . but . . .”

That’s the fool’s mantra: “If only that . . .” He wants the prize, but is unwilling to pay the price. The price is, as the Proverb states, to “turn from evil.”

Christian:

Do you desire peace of heart and soul?

Then turn from evil.

Do you desire fulfillment in doing something that counts eternally?

Then turn from evil.

Do you desire the Lord to look favorably upon your requests?

Then turn from evil.

Do you desire treasures in heaven?

Then turn from evil.

Do you desire to hear the words, “Well done, My good and faithful servant?”

Then turn from evil.

Do you desire _______________________________________

You fill in the blank.

Then turn from evil.

The proposition is simple, isn’t it? If your fondest desires mean anything to you, they may be achieved by turning (that means repenting about and actually making an about face away from) your evil ways. Perhaps your desires are not like those above. Ought they not be? If one of your problems is wrong desires—then, turning from evil should clear up both matters. Your desires will change and the fulfillment of them will do so too.

But, perhaps, you are a fool. The fool lives for his desires but they are the wrong ones, and if they are fulfilled they will be a curse upon him. One of the most stringent punishments God afflicts is to give man his desires. Remember the desire of the Israelites for a king like the nations; remember their desire for meat in the wilderness. In both cases, they got what they desired–to their detriment.

Then, there was the desire of the rich young ruler who wanted eternal life, but would not turn from his worship of money to find it. He earnestly desired it, but earnestness wouldn’t cut it. He would not turn from his evil love of money.

What is your desire? Is evil keeping you from realizing it? Will you miss out on the kind of eternity you long for? Then stop playing the fool; turn from evil!

Check out our online courses, including, Introduction to Nouthetic Counseling and  The Use of Scripture in Counseling, taught by Jay Adams!

Books related to counseling others:

1. Competent to Counsel by Jay Adams
2. The Christian Counselor’s Manual by Jay Adams
3. How to Help People Change by Jay Adams
4. Check out our Bookstore for all the best counseling books!

The Christian Counselor’s New Testament and Proverbs, translated by Jay Adams

Visit our online bookstore for all your biblical counseling resource needs.
For more biblical counseling training, check out our list of INS Online Courses.

Follow INS on Social Media:
– Facebook: noutheticstudies
– Twitter: @noutheticstud
– Instagram: @noutheticstudies

The post What Is Your Heart’s Desire? appeared first on Institute for Nouthetic Studies | Biblical Counseling.

So? If not people, then what?

“I don’t know—I’m just plain disgusted with people!”

How come?

“They keep letting me down.”

Well, is that all their fault or do you bear some responsibility for choosing undependable ones?

“What do you mean?”

Listen to Proverbs 26:6, “He who sends messages by the hand of a stubborn fool, cuts off his own feet and drinks injury.”

“Wow! That’s strong language.

But probably just the language you need to hear. There is, of course, no excuse for the fool’s negligence. He is definitely to be condemned if he assumes a responsibility that he doesn’t fulfill. But you have a responsibility to choose wisely when depending on someone to do a task.

“Hmmm. I guess that’s right. What’s the ‘drinking injury’ mean?”

When you drink something, you are pouring it into yourself. That is, you injure yourself. To enlist a fool, is to guzzle down injury.

“I think I get the ‘cutting off feet” bit—I might as well have none to get if I depend on him to get it done. He’s no help–no feet to take the place of mine.”

Yea—something like that.

“How can I tell whether one is likely to be undependable?”

Did you notice he is called a ‘stubborn’ fool?

“Oh. I missed that.”

There are three words for fool used in the Hebrew of Proverbs: a stubborn fool, a stupid fool, a shameful fool, each (in that order) worse than the one before it. You may not realize it, but much foolishness is the result of stubbornness—the fool has his own ideas about how to do something (usually wrong ones), but won’t listen to reason when you suggest otherwise. So, if someone is stubborn about matters that you understand, avoid using him for a task. That’s one way to tell.

“Well. That’s helpful.”

I’m glad you think so, or you’d probably fill the bill; yourself!

The Christian Counselor’s New Testament and Proverbs, translated by Jay Adams

Visit our online bookstore for all your biblical counseling resource needs.
For biblical counseling training, check out our list of INS Online Courses.

Follow INS on Social Media:
– Facebook: noutheticstudies
– Twitter: @noutheticstud
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The post Stubborn Fools appeared first on Institute for Nouthetic Studies | Biblical Counseling.